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Newly elected GOP Congressman comes out in support of same-sex marriage

Republican Congressman David Jolly says he still believes in traditional marriage, but he thinks the state should recognize same-sex marriage 'as a matter of Constitutional principle.' A Florida ban on gay marriage was ruled unconstitutional last week, but marriage licenses in Florida are on hold pending appeal, the judge ruled Monday.

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Andy Jones/The Tampa Tribune/AP/File
Republican David Jolly heads to the stage to thank his supporters Tuesday, March 11, 2014, at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort, in Clearwater Beach, Fla. Jolly edged Democrat Alex Sink in special election for the seat of Rep. Bill Young (R) who served in Congress 42 years.
  • By Curt Anderson AP Legal Affairs Writer

| MIAMI

On Monday, Congressman David Jolly (R) of Florida came out in support of same-sex marriage. 

"As a matter of my Christian faith, I believe in traditional marriage," Mr. Jolly said in a statement. "But as a matter of Constitutional principle I believe in a form of limited government that protects personal liberty. To me, that means that the sanctity of one's marriage should be defined by their faith and by their church, not by their state."

Jolly also said that he approved of last week's ruling by a Florida Keys judge that the state's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. On Monday, the judge refused to allow gay couples to begin marrying in Monroe County, citing a pending appeal by the state attorney general.

Monroe County Circuit Judge Luis Garcia rejected a motion to allow immediate weddings filed by attorneys for Aaron Huntsman and William Lee Jones, a pair of Key West bartenders whose lawsuit successfully challenged the ban. Garcia ruled last week that the ban on same-sex marriage added to the state constitution by Florida voters in 2008 is discriminatory and violates gay people's right to equal treatment under the law.

Garcia initially ruled marriage licenses could be issued in Monroe County beginning Tuesday to gay couples. But that was blocked by an automatic stay triggered when Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi immediately filed notice that the state will appeal.

Bondi's office filed papers later Monday urging Garcia to keep the stay in place and preserve the status quo until all appeals are sorted out and Garcia agreed. That means no gay marriages can take place while Garcia's original ruling is reviewed by the Miami-based 3rd District Court of Appeal, which could take weeks or months to issue a decision.

In their motion, three attorneys for Huntsman and Jones wrote that gays are suffering harm because they cannot marry in Monroe County despite the judge's ruling and because the state is unlikely to ultimately win an appeal. Gay marriage proponents have won more than 20 legal decisions against state marriage limits around the country since the U.S. Supreme Court last year struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

"Every day that goes by, plaintiffs and other same-sex couples are being deprived of important constitutional rights and suffering additional serious, ongoing, and irreparable dignitary, legal and economic harms," the motion says.

Gays have inundated Monroe County officials with requests for information since the judge's ruling in anticipation that they could become the first group of same-sex couples to legally marry in Florida history. The Monroe County clerk's office has already changed marriage license forms from "husband and wife" to "first spouse, second spouse."

Lawsuits challenging Florida's gay marriage ban are also pending in Miami-Dade County and Tallahassee federal court. Currently, 19 states and the District of Columbia permit same-sex marriages, with the remaining state bans all facing legal challenges seeking to overturn them.

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Follow Curt Anderson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Miamicurt

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